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Important Non-Meat Sources Of Protein For Vegetarians

Date Added : August 19, 2010 | Views : 389





Although most vegetarians consume a considerable

amount of protein, they often do not absorb as much

as they would on a nonvegetarian diet. This is because

plant proteins are considerably less digestible than

animal proteins, which contain amino acid chains that

are closer or identical to human amino acid chains.



Consuming animal proteins might yield close to a 1:1

absorption ratio, while consuming plant proteins, such

as wheat, might only yield 50% of the amino acids needed

to build a "complete protein" or a protein that can

readily be assimilated into the human body.



In order for vegetarians to absorb a healthy amount

of protein, they must consume a variety of plant proteins

to form complete amino chains. By eating vegetables,

legumes, seeds, nuts, fruits, and whole grains, vegetarians

can increase the amount of complete proteins they create

by combining a number of varieties of amino acid chains.



Vegetarians must also consume more foods that contain

proteins because plant proteins are generally

harder to digest. While a nutritional label may suggest

that pasta has 5 grams of protein per serving; you may

only be able to digest 2-3 grams of that protein, which

means you must complement the pasta with other sources

of protein.



In addition to natural sources of protein, vegetarians

should also seek foods that are "protein-fortified"--

or artificially-infused with protein.



For example, many supermarkets offer a variety

"protein-fortified" pasta and bread. I have seen pasta

that contains as much as 12 grams of protein per serving.



Soy milk is also a good source of protein for vegetarians.

Studies on isolated soy protein show that it can be

absorbed nearly as well as animal proteins, yielding close

to a 1:1 protein absorption ratio.



For non-vegan vegetarians, yogurt, milk, and

eggs (which contain complete proteins) are all

excellent sources of protein.



As a vegetarian you have a number of options to

boost your protein intake - and you should consider

taking advantage of all of them. You should diversify

your food selections, drink more soy products, and

eat "protein-fortified" breads and pasta.







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